That’s me. Been about a month now. I just can’t get interested in beer and whiskey right now. Oh, I still like it, don’t get me wrong, but every night I tell myself I should drink a beer or whiskey and write up a review about it. Then this overwhelming wave of apathy comes over me and I don’t. I don’t drink anything either. So unlike my brother Jim, who just drinks like a fish every night, and has no problem drinking a beer and not reviewing it, I am not that way. If I don’t review a beer when I drink a new one, I feel guilty, so to aswage my guilt I will simply not drink anything.

So when you have a blog about drinking stuff this is a problem, and I thnk that is why I am in a funk. I think it started when I got into trouble with my wife over drinking too much. So I stopped to show her that I don’t have a “problem”, which I assure you I don’t. Then I got a head and chest cold, and that kind puts a downer on things, then I just haven’t had the energy to keep up with stuff. Right now I have about 10 whiskey/whisky reviews that I can do, and about twice that many for beer. So it isn’t a problem of not having enough booze to keep going, no it is all about my drive. So I have labeled this an official “FUNK”.

I’m sure you have all gone through these before. Whether you write about your exploits or not, I’m sure you have all gone through points where you have not wanted to drink. So how did you get out of it? Did you force yourself to drink stuff to kind of will yourself out of it? Did you just wait it out? Some advice here would be good, as I have never gone this long in a funk. Oh, I’ve had the week long funks before, but then pulled out of them nicely and kept going, but this is going on 5 weeks now and it shows no signs of weakening.

So,…Advice please! How do I turn it around? What has worked for you in the past? PLEASE, let me know in the comments.

Don, defiantly been there, and recently to. What I do is watch beer videos like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9d0rweitp8 Or I go back and drink a beer that I know I love, for me it’s a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale…and I slowly start to feel it again. I also like to change where I’m drinking, if I normally drink at home, I go to a bar instead and “soak” it all in. The smells, sounds and sights just kind of help to ignite the flame that is now reduced to a smolder. Passion is a fickle thing, but devotion on the other hand…that’s what keeps one going.

Oooh PLEEEEEEEEEASE Don!! PLEEEEEEEASE grace us with you wit and amazing reviewing skillz once again!!!! I just don’t know what we’ll all do without your wonderful insights on beer and whiskey! It’s they only reason we turn on our computers anymore. You’re the bestest reviewer evar and we miss you so!!!! PLEEEEEEEEASE PLEEEEEEASE PUHLEEEEZE let the magic of your words flow like nectar upon the page once again!!!

Trevor, you have thicker blood than me. I’ve become quite the wimp over the years where cold is concerned. I have a garage and that is where I smoke when I want one. But the idea of sitting in a 45 degree garage for an hour makes my butt cold!

My advice is don’t try to swim upstream. There could be many reasons for the funk, but you’re only going to tire yourself out and possibly make things worse by forcing the issue. It could be the season. I’m coming off a cold and then sinus infection and I’m not that interested in beer right now either. It’s miserable outside and that just puts me in a bigger funk.

It will pass. You didn’t all of the sudden become beer/whiskey adverse. You will get your groove back. In the meantime don’t beat yourself up about it and try to find other fun things to occupy your time.

BTW Bro, you are suffering from a winter funk. Winter sucks, and for some reason this one seems to be dragging on and on and on. I think you’ll be fine on that first day you can wear short sleeves and feel the sun on your face. You’ll want a beer for sure.

In the meantime, maybe your liver is trying to tell you something by way of your brain chemistry.

I kind of disagree with the “get back on the horse” recommendations. A funk is a funk, and sometimes, I think it has more to do with our state of mind than our desires for alcohol. You see, I too am in a bit of a funk. So, I haven’t really drank much alchol. Not because I don’t love alcohol, and god knows I have plenty of new beers to try in my “cellar” (See: box full of beers in my garage). But, I have been a little down recently, which I attribute to weather, some recent unsatisfaction at my job, and on and on. So, what I have been doing is getting back to things I like that I have taken for granted, such as mountain biking, hiking, etc. I find that being outdoors (I live in Southern CA – this may not be possible for everyone) helps to reenergize me. The point being try something different, the beer and whiskey will be there, and I truly don’t believe we can fully enjoy it until our own equilibrium is balanced.

I’m with David. The only way out of a funk for me is to go DO something. Preferably something completely unrelated to the thing I’m feeling procrastinatory about. Sometimes, especially with those of us who do ‘creative’ things like writing (even a whiskey review is creative writing) pushing ourselves to do what we feel obligated but resistant to just exacerbates the problem. Take a week (or two) ‘off’ from the drinking/writing, and get into something else you thoroughly enjoy. Walk, paint, fish, play fetch with the dog, finish a project around the house, swim like a polar bear, watch porn… okay, maybe not that last one… The point is, do something else that you’re passionate about for a while and give your muse-cup a chance to refill. Can’t enjoy the beer if all that’s left is the dregs every time you go to the tap, now can you? Same with anything else. Give yourself permission to just NOT do it for a little while. You’ll be surprised how soon you actually start wanting to again.

In the same space, Don. My twitter reviews have been pretty sparse as of late. Just not feeling it. Try to comment once and a while so people know I’m alive. But I’m barely alive. I can’t stay well long enough to want to have a beer, much less review a beer. Seriously, I’ve been ill longer and more often than any time I can remember. On some antibiotics right now as a matter of fact.

I’m hoping spring brings a change in things. Get healthy. Get outside more. Do some plein air drinking/reviews maybe. You know, on the patio, at a park, by a river, on a hike, at a pub. O.K. the last one is not exactly plein air, but you get the point—changing up the drinking/review environment might snap me out of things.

Another thing that snaps me out of those kind of funks is getting someone else excited about craft beer. Igniting their passion for good beer rekindles your own. (Oh jeebus, I better stop. This is starting to sound like a trashy Daniel Steel novel.)

Thanks Chad. Of course the sickness in your home has been nothing short of scary. I think that it should right itself over time. Its funny how different things can be from year to year. Last year at this time I was cranking it out, this year I feel like I’m in concrete. I guess this is just a particularly bad funk, and I’m sure I will pull out of it…eventually.

My surefire way to get back into drinking/writing? Thumb through Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide. Something about seeing a picture of a perfectly poured beer next to the bottle and reading a little write up about it triggers some sort of pavlovian response in me to drink a beer. After flipping through about 10 pages of that book, I’ve have to drink one, which is why my wife makes sure that it’s not simply left on our coffee table. I mean if it’s there, I have to look through it, and if I have to look through it….

Another thing that gets me going is reading some reactionary article about the “dangers” of alcohol. Even if I don’t feel like drinking a beer, if I read some misguided article about “here’s why you shouldn’t consume alcohol” or “drinking a beer with your dinner every night totally makes you an alcoholic,” it triggers both my “You’re not the boss of me” and my “I’ll show this idiot” instincts which makes me want to drink a beer.

Its been a while since I posted on your site – been reading everything just haven’t had much to say but your “funk” made me wake up and write something. I think the pressure of the blog and having to review everything and make it entertaining at the same time must put a lot of pressure on you. I think enjoying a beer or whisky without having to think about it is the way to start; I couldn’t imagine having to think and be so critical everytime I had a drink – it would drive me crazy. You have a lot of people who enjoy your blog and would be patient if you choose to take some time off – we know you’ll be back.

Rob! I was just kidding about the funk thing, I was just trying to draw you back out! It worked! Ahh…Just kidding. But seriously it is great to see you back. I was wondering where you went. I’m in a catch 22 here, because I feel guilt if I drink without the review, and I feel guilt if I don’t drink to get the review. I think I just need to tell myself I’m going to relax and have a four roses single barrel just to enjoy the hell out of it, and write later, whenever that is. I’ll give that a try tonight.

You need a night out! Call some friends and head out to a bar for some brews, bar food, and other silliness. That might help. Always works for me.

I know what you mean about the funk. This time of year gets me too. Crap weather and the 2nd half of the fiscal year at work (i.e. budget season) is never fun. Like many have said, spring is right around the corner.

Don, don’t sweat the small funk. I think all of us drinkers who blog (not sure about the bloggers who drink) have gone through this. It usually happens to me when I start thinking that my drinking and blogging (hence forth named drogging) is more of a job than a hobby. I also find that when things get very busy at work (i.e. my real work, not my drogging) my urge to write about beer diminishes. I’m still enjoying the beer, I’m just not writing about it. So don’t make it a chore, just relax and enjoy the whiskey, beer, cigar, or whatever. The words and thoughts will come.

On the other hand, I think the name TheFunkyBeerAndWhiskeyBros.com” is still available !

Hmm… maybe go back to an old stand-by, one of your favorites, to remind you why you like to drink whiskey and beer in the first place.

A few weeks ago, I was having a bit of writer’s block myself. So I decided to start writing an entry about movies that feature writer’s block. No joke- I got 3 or 4 movies down and then got more writer’s block. The ironing is delicious.

Did so with the beer, but haven’t tried whiskey yet. Had a North Coast Old Stock on Saturday night, and it went down ok. Cooked with and drank part of a Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot on Sunday. It was pretty good. Got a lot better when I paired it with a Perdomo 10th Anniversary Cigar. Maybe that is what I have to do to get out of the slump, just combine vices!

A lot of good recommendations here. Another twist is to give yourself a challenge – I’ve seen you mention a number of whiskeys, that to your chagrin, you can’t get in Idaho. Make it your mission to beg, borrow, steal, scheme, etc… to get your hands on one of them. The combination of the challenge and anticipation of the reward may be enough to get the juices flowing.

I promised myself a bottle of Booker’s once a recent work project finished up. Hell, I was ready to pour one out in the checkout line when I finally got there.

Sounds good Jake. I’ll have to think on that one. the one whiskey I would love to get right now that I can’t is Noah’s Mill 114. That is great whiskey and I love the stuff. Had it in New Orleans at Bourbon House. That would be worth the trouble to track down.

You’re describing Seasonal Depression pretty well. I have trouble with this, too. Everyone has provided really great ideas from trying something new to incentivizing a goal ( I really did read all of the comments before posting). A few chemical/hormonal things you can try too: more vitamin D: I go tanning once a week during the winter to boost my vitamin D levels. I found out the hard way living in Chicago during the winter that I turn into Jabba the Hut if I don’t get enough vitamin D. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. No one wants to hear that but it’s true. And of course the last part is exercise. In one of the worst winters Indiana has seen in quite a few years, all I did was some Wii – but it helped. Even just a couple of times a week.
Last but not least, it’s shitty for people to give you a genuinely hard time. Ribbing is okay and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Jim – but you need good vibes. I relied heavily on a few friends when they knew I needed them and felt better after just telling them I felt crappy.

Note to everybody else: I’m not a medical professional, but I do know my nuts and bolts aren’t screwed tightly enough. 🙂